Cornelis de Vlaminck (1491-1535)

Cornelis de Vlaminck, an Anabaptist martyr, was beheaded at Zwolle, Dutch province of Overijssel in March 1535. He was born in 1491 in Amsterdam of a patrician family. His father, Cornelis van Handtshoorne, had been a sheriff of the city of Amsterdam in 1500 and a burgomaster in 1510. Cornelis himself, who was a grain merchant like his father, was in 1525 also a sheriff. Soon after 1530 he joined the Anabaptists. He had participated in the journey (March 1534) of the Anabaptists from Amsterdam to Bergklooster en route to Münster, and the next year, when arrested at Zwolle, was accused of having planned an attack on the city of Deventer. During the persecution he seems to have temporarily abandoned his faith, but soon after he felt repentant and henceforth remained loyal to his faith until his death. He was a very active man, who gave Jan Paeuw and the other deacons of the church considerable amounts of money.